I’ve been a lifelong fan of science fiction and I’m old enough to remember a world where much of today’s technology didn’t exist. Personal computers, cable TV, cell phones, satellite phones, smart phones, email, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machines, genome mapping, and services like Google for instant searching of information. There’s thousands of other inventions that made all of this new technology possible from transistors, IC’s, flat screen monitors, and ever tinier electronic components surface mounted onto circuit boards. Space travel, undersea exploration, and thousands of daily medical miracles have all happened in my lifetime.
What was once science fiction is now science fact. It’s a topic I’m excited about and love to share in my weekly columns. Below are some classic works by authors who in many ways invented and defined the science fiction genre.
Jules Verne (1828-1905)
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea was originally serialised from March 1869 to June 1870 and was later released as a novel. It was also made into a 1954 movie. Here’s the movie trailer. The description of a modern submarine and underwater diving equipment was far beyond anything in existence when this was written.
From the Earth to the Moon was published as a novel in 1865. It tells the story of a group of men in a gun club who built a space gun, essentially a large cannon, with the goal of shooting three men to the moon.
“The story is notable in that Verne attempted to do some rough calculations as to the requirements for the cannon and in that, considering the comparative lack of empirical data on the subject at the time, some of his figures are remarkably accurate.”
The movie version was released in 1958. Here’s the movie trailer.
For an earlier, sillier version of this story, the 1902 French Science Fiction film A Trip to the Moon written, directed and produced by Georges Méliès and was inspired by the Jules Verne book. Here’s the movie trailer.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury was a 1953 novel that was later made into two movie adaptations, one in 1966 and the second in 2018. The protagonist of the story, fireman Guy Montag, had wall sized television screens on three of the four walls of his living room and people routinely had “shells” in their ears to listen to music or shows. Today’s version of shells are earbuds. Televisions in 1953 used Cathode Ray Tubes and most had 14” to 17” screens. Nothing like the 70” flat screen wall mounted televisions of today.
Star Trek original television show was produced by two different studios from 1966 to 1969. While we still haven’t developed a warp drive or food replicators, other technology like the original Star Trek communicators became a reality.
Flip phones were developed by Motorola and became hugely popular in the 1990s. Here’s an article with the complete history of flip phones.
The images above are from the original Star Trek Sickbay. How different is this from what we see in hospitals today?
Please leave a comment.
If you enjoyed this newsletter, please click on “LIKE” below or Restack with a note.
My new novel, Electromagnetic Assault, is now on sale!
Print Book and E-book is available now on Amazon and Bookshop.org
Audiobook is coming soon!
April 9th Midwest Writers Room Chapter Breaks Podcast Episode on YouTube.
On Saturday, April 18th at 2:00 PM I’ll present an author talk and book signing at the Fitchburg, WI public library.
On May 1st I’ll be a speaker at the Lakefly Writers Conference and Book Fair in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. For writers my conference session is why new writers should start a Substack Email Newsletter prior to publication. For readers I’ll be selling my new book, Electromagnetic Assault at the Book Fair on May 2nd.
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.